Module 4: Assessing the Complex Realities of Migration

Fall 2017 - Spring 2018

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 to Thursday, May 31, 2018

How does one judge when the realities are so complex? In Chapter 5 “Developing an Evaluative, Ethical Framework,” students will explore migration in terms of Catholic Social Teaching and four key concepts – human dignity, stewardship, common good and preferential option for the poor. With the benefit of a brief history of CST on migration, students will focus on the efforts of US and Mexican bishops to author their pivotal statement, “Strangers No Longer” and lay out the five rights that all migrants should have.

Module 4 Internet Links to Chapter References.pdf provides a sequential list of the web-based links referenced in the footnotes from Chapter 5 to Global Migration: What’s Happening, Why, and a Just Response. These same links are included below under Primary Resources and also cross-referenced with the page number of the e-book.

Access E-BookGlobal Migration: What's Happening, Why, and a Just Response. Course instructors considering a book for adoption will be provided a complimentary copy.

“If the term alien is to be used at all, it has little to do with one who lacks political documentation, but more with those who have so disconnected themselves from their neighbor in need that they fail to see in the eyes of the stranger a mirror of themselves, the image of Christ and the call to human solidarity,” concludes author, Daniel G. Groody, in “Theology in the Age of Migration.” Source: National Catholic Reporter. Published: September 14, 2009.

“We often ask, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ Why does the answer always surprise us?” When readers consider “Why are we asking this question?” author Cecilia González-Andrieu points to an answer found in a passage from the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Then, she asks readers to wrestle more by considering Spanish interpretations - vecino, prójimo, and semejante - for the English word neighbor. Author: Cecilia González-Andrieu. Source: America: The Jesuit Review. Published: October 17, 2016.

The Human Dimension and Dilemma

“In an Immigration Court that Nearly Always Says No, a Lawyer’s Spirit Is Broken.” The surge in immigrants from Central America is making the variations already present across the 58 immigration court venues more stark. This “reflect(s) the backgrounds of immigrants seeking reprieve, the availability of lawyers to help, and the views of local judges.” Author: Chico Harlan. Source: Washington Post, Business Section. Published: October 11, 2016. (Page 66)

In his homily, Pope Francis spoke of the "globalized indifference ... (which) makes us all 'unnamed,' responsible, yet nameless and faceless" during his visit to Lampedusa, Italy on July 8, 1973. (Page 73)

Cardinal O’Malley argues why the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to Juarez, on the US-Mexican borders “will be seen in a broader perspective than the United States and Mexico alone. … (Further,) US immigration policy must combine compassion and safety.” Source: Crux. Published: February 18, 2016. (Page 69)

Craig Mousin on Mercy and Discretion in our Immigration Laws - Interview Series

“Where is the mercy and discretion, that Christianity talks about, in our immigration law today?” Craig Mousin, a lawyer and United Church of Christ minister, asks this question and shares how he has explored the meaning of “Welcoming the Stranger” throughout his life. He reflects on his heritage (“immigration is a good thing”), his legal training, his demonstrated faith in God, establishment of a pro bono law service for refugees, and work with refugees in Greece during the summer of 2016. Introduction: Charles Strain. Interview: August 2017. 19:22 minutes.

Fostering a Culture of Peace

In “Fostering a Culture of Peace: Embracing the “Us” Meghan J. Clark, Ph.D. reflects on “the deep theology of solidarity and its importance for fostering a culture of peace.” Additional resources include a Prayer, Discussion Questions, Faith in Action, recommended videos for reflection and discussion, and a playlist. Source: Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern. Published: 2017. (15 pages)